Taipei-based Jerry Taxi Tour company yesterday said it was ceasing operations after a rash of bad publicity after one of its drivers was accused of sexually assaulting a South Korean tourist.
A female supervisor at Jerry Taxi Tour, surnamed Li (黎), told reporters that the company terminated its business as of yesterday.
“Since the incident involving one of our drivers, surnamed Chan (詹), we have lost a lot of business and many customers have canceled their travel bookings,” Li said.
“Other cab companies have accused us of bad things. We have also been attacked and threatened through text messages and e-mails from South Korea,” Li said.
The company specialized in offering tour packages to South Korean tourists.
Chan has been detained by authorities, with police and judicial investigators searching his home in New Taipei City’s Tucheng District (土城) to gather evidence.
Investigators are still examining his computer files and communications records, while looking into his medical history to determine his mental and physical health, after sleeping pills were found at his residence.
Investigators said they were also checking to see if Chan used sleeping pills to drug female passengers by spiking their drinks.
Chan was quoted as saying he is depressed and has trouble sleeping, and that the pills were for his own use.
When questioned by officers at the Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office on Saturday last week, Chan reportedly admitted to drugging three South Korean women, who had paid for a one-day tour package of the greater Taipei area by giving them tainted yoghurt drinks.
Chan allegedly targeted one of the three females, sexually assaulting her after she fell unconscious.
Investigators are seeking to ascertain if there were other victims, as Chan is suspected of using the same method to attack other women, including another South Korean woman who had reported feeling ill after Chan gave her pearl milk tea on her holiday visit last year.
Chan has denied committing any other sexual assaults.
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